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The Great Controversy
were posted, calling upon those who desired to assist in breaking the
windows and robbing the houses of the Methodists, to assemble at
a given time and place. These open violations of both human and
divine law were allowed to pass without a reprimand. A systematic
persecution was carried on against a people whose only fault was that
of seeking to turn the feet of sinners from the path of destruction to
the path of holiness.
Said John Wesley, referring to the charges against himself and his
associates: “Some allege that the doctrines of these men are false,
erroneous, and enthusiastic; that they are new and unheard-of till of
late; that they are Quakerism, fanaticism, popery. This whole pretense
has been already cut up by the roots, it having been shown at large
that every branch of this doctrine is the plain doctrine of Scripture
interpreted by our own church. Therefore it cannot be either false
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or erroneous, provided the Scripture be true.” “Others allege, ‘Their
doctrine is too strict; they make the way to heaven too narrow.’ And this
is in truth the original objection, (as it was almost the only one for some
time,) and is secretly at the bottom of a thousand more, which appear
in various forms. But do they make the way to heaven any narrower
than our Lord and His apostles made it? Is their doctrine stricter than
that of the Bible? Consider only a few plain texts: ‘Thou shalt love the
Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy strength.’ ‘For every idle word which men shall
speak, they shall give an account in the day of judgment.’ ‘Whether ye
eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God.’
“If their doctrine is stricter than this, they are to blame; but you
know in your conscience it is not. And who can be one jot less strict
without corrupting the word of God? Can any steward of the mysteries
of God be found faithful if he change any part of that sacred depositum?
No. He can abate nothing, he can soften nothing; he is constrained to
declare to all men, ‘I may not bring down the Scripture to your taste.
You must come up to it, or perish forever.’ This is the real ground of
that other popular cry concerning ‘the uncharitableness of these men.’
Uncharitable, are they? In what respect? Do they not feed the hungry
and clothe the naked? ‘No; that is not the thing: they are not wanting
in this: but they are so uncharitable in judging! they think none can be
saved but those of their own way.’”—Ibid., vol. 3, pp. 152, 153.